This means that, to all ends and purposes, Dr Preston Burke is gone. For good.

This may sound shallow, but this loss comes as a great blow to me. To me, Preston Burke was more than just a fictional character on a TV show. To me, he was an inspiration. His exacting standards, devotion to his art, professionalism, and compassion for his patients embodied, to me, the perfect surgeon. When he revealed to Cristina that the secret to his genius was not being the smartest in med school, but being the hardest-working, he inspired hundreds of thousands of medical students and viewers across the globe. Indeed, I imagined surgeons like Sid Schwab of Surgeonsblog, Harvard surgeon and writer Atul Gawande, and HospitalPhoenix to be like him. Tough. Exacting. Precise. Obsessive. But also filled with compassion and genuine concern for both his patients and his students.

I know Isaiah Washington the actor may not be the wisest of men when it comes to keeping his mouth shut. And I detest discrimination of any sort. But Preston Burke the character was an integral part of the drama, storyline, and cultural diversity of Grey's Anatomy. And he was a hero of mine. He inspired me to keep going, to keep looking higher, and to make myself better. In an imperfect world, he showed me, and crowds of fans worldwide, that there was nothing wrong with striving for perfection.

I think you've been cooped indoors studying for exams too long... It's a TV SHOW! And, there are much better role models in real life. Get outside and enjoy not being in the library, maybe that will clear your head :) You'll meet many role models in your clinical years.

Oh Angry Medic! I am so upset. I did not know this bad news! I am pressed for time and will have to come back to read article BUT WHAT HAPPENED??? I agree with everything you so eloquently wrote about him.

In my opinion there will be a major hole left in the show - he was awesome! So - that is why Christina seemed to screww it up although no one was listening to her either.

Does anyone know WHY Mama Burke indicated it was a family tradition for the brides to have missing eyebrows? What was THAT all about?

I'll miss Burke too. I mean his wedding vows were wow.Sure there will be real life role models but the way the character was shown on tv was AMAZING! I loved Burke!! I LOVED HIM AND YANG! I think I'm going to go cry now.

Somewhere along the line I stopped watching G's A. Really, even though it's just TV and soapy, the "surgeons" behaved in such ridiculous ways that I couldn't handle it any more. When Burke did operations with his gimpy hand and what's-her-name "covered" (an intern, no less) that was pretty much it for me.

Preston Burke was one of my favourite character together with Christina. How in the world could they simply get rid of such a powerful character just like that? They should kick Meredith out instead, she's nothing but a troublesom character. Goodbye preston, you'll be missed greatly =(

yay, i like your blog, its the first time im reading, i'm malaysian too, and currently doing 3rd year MBBS in India,heh,life pretty hectic in medic but i also managed to follow also the greys anatomy show,i do like preston burke character,sadly he'll be gone, but maybe there's more to it, we'll just have to wait and see!

Sid (killjoy) Schwab! seriously - Dr Schwab - I am kidding and I can appreciate why you would not care for the show. Even I figured the OR cover-up with Burke's hand couldn't happen. :) Still....I am hopelessly hooked just like I am to your Surgeonsblog. :)

I LOVE MERIDETH! She was totally neglected by her parents and yes has some issues but in spite of them - while screwed up she is still a compassionate person.

Burke and Christina's relationship was unique and I think it is cool how he totally got her - until the end. It has been great to see her evolve into a more compassionate person. She obviously has her issues too.

So sorry Angry, I know what it's like to lose a mentor, even a "fictional" one...glad that you mentioned Dr. Gawade (sp?)Can't wait to read his newest book...I discovered him accidently, years ago, while "flipping" through the channels, he was on "Book Notes", reading from his first book...I thought he seemed very kind, somehow......gotta love him and he's very good looking too...! You will probably look like him when you get a few years on you! Glad exams are over...yeah!!

Hey dude, I hope you don't mind me linking to your blog. I been pretty angry the whole week and when I saw the title 'Angry Medic' I couldn't resist clicking. Couple of things to say to you:

1. Good job on your recent exam. :)

"Sure, they come in with sleepy smiles and say "Mate, I'm so screwed, I've done no work at all, I can't remember anything", blah de blah de bloody blah. But you know it's all bullshit. That it's about as believable as a cow standing up on two hind legs and telling you it's the Queen of England."

I'm on the other side of the world and it's the same in medical school here. Shocking. Life gets better.

I'm glad he's gone, glad that Mr Washington will probably find it hard to work again. I LOATHE him for his discrimination, especially to lovely lovely George. I will marry George/T.R.Knight one day. And we will be two lovely boy doctors in love.

I wasn't a big fan of Dr. Burke. I don't like people that don't know their limits. Preforming surgery with a tremor is not cool in my book. I was more than happy to see him go. I hope Dr. Hann makes a reappearance as the new chief of cardio-thoracic surgery.

I totally agree with you, I do wonder what he's going to be replaced by if replaced at all... I mean christina can't just not be married anymore?*dont ruin it if Ive missed something*one thing that DID piss me off on Grey's Anatomy.. is how they perform CPR bending their elbows and hardly moving... and it really traumatized me to watch the chief carry it out so crappily.. i honestly thought he was such a great doctor.. i perhaps may have even *gasp* believed it...

I completely and totally agree. I've been watching Grey's from the very beginning and since Dr. Burke's been gone the show has not been the same. His character was one of the most single inspiring characters I've ever watched and it's a shame that there will never be another Dr. Burke.

I know I'm a little late, but I'm watching this show in India now and I am so, so heartbroken to learn that he was let go. It's terrible. I saw him as more than a character too. He and Yang could have made the 'perfect relationship' come true! It sucks that he had a lapse in judgement and was let go.

The Angry Medic Elsewhere

About Me

The Angry Medic is an idiot who got into Cambridge University due to his unusually attractive eyelashes. For the past 6 years he has been ranting his way through the freakshow and wide-screen madness that is the medical course at Cambridge and Imperial College London, and finding time to express an opinion on medicine, social issues, and anything else he considers pains in the gluteal region. He can now be found regularly endangering patients' lives (and being endangered in return) somewhere in Southeast Asia.

Have you been overly enthralled by the allure of Cambridge and want to give it a crack? Has someone hit you on the head with a large frying pan and now you want to go to medical school? Do you want to join me in a suicidal leap off the Bridge of Sighs? Or have you a rant more boring than mine? Drop me a line at angrymedic [at] gmail [dot] com

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All persons and events described on this blog are fictional unless explicitly stated otherwise and are intended purely for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or events past or present is purely coincidental.

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